Man charged with armed robbery of $450k at MBS

QX179R SG

AN UNEMPLOYED man was charged in court on Thursday with armed robbery of $450,000 from a businessman at a hotel room in Marina Bay Sands last week.

No plea was taken from Octavius Tok Tien Howe, 37.

He is said to have robbed Mr Gay Choon Hooi with an accomplice, of the amount in the room at about 11pm on April 14, while each of them was armed with a knife.

The prosecution successfully applied for him to be remanded at Tanglin Police Division for a week with permission to take him out for investigation to trace the accomplice.

Tok had objected to the remand and denied committing any crime. He will be back in court on April 28.

If convicted of armed robbery, he can be jailed between three and 14 years, plus at least 12 strokes of the cane.

-- ST

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

Dr Octavius vs Mr Gay...

hiphop2009 SG

wrong wrong wrong thing and worst worst worst idea to conduct an armed robbery in Singapore because you will probably never get away with it....and 12 strokes of cane...ouch...

Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1) SG

fail

using an knife to rob

that brave

QX179R SG

How does one lose S$450,000 at a casino without gambling?

A managing director, Gay Choon Hooi, was allegedly robbed at knife point by two men last Thursday in a hotel room at Marina Bay Sands (MBS), The Straits Times reported.

Octavius Tok Tien Howe, 37, was charged in a district court on Thursday with the armed robbery. His alleged accomplice, Neo Ek Khiang, is still at large. A police prosecutor applied for a week's remand so that the accomplice's whereabouts can be traced.

However, Tok remained defiant.

Dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans, he objected to the remand and denied committing any crime.

The stout and fair-complexioned man said that when he was arrested in Changi Airport, he asked the investigation officer for evidence of his arrest.

When the officer replied "armed robbery," he asked, "Where is the arm?"

He went on to say that he would not have returned to Singapore if he had committed a crime.

Tok, who is unemployed, accused the officer of not doing a "thorough" job and asked, "Why am I treated like this case is so serious?"

District Judge Lim Tse Haw, who remanded Tok until next Thursday, said that under the law, armed robbery was not a bailable offence as of right, and police needed time to trace the accomplice.

If convicted, Tok faces a jail term of three to 14 years and at least 12 strokes of the cane.

Gay is a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) in his 40s, and is the managing director of CitiWall, a leading installer of aluminum works such as windows, curtain walls and claddings.

He is listed as director and shareholder of about a dozen firms on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority website.

A spokesperson for MBS told The Straits Times, "The safety of our guests and staff is our top priority. We have strong procedures and security measures throughout our property in order to provide a safe and secure atmosphere for our valued guests."

She added that the management would work closely with the police and authorities to prevent and detect illegal activities and that all perpetrators be brought to justice.

-- Yahoo!